Two Words
by Fox the Writer
Summary: Sometimes one's deeds as a Ranger need two little words to show appreciation for what they've done. Dedicated to the veterans out there for Veteran's Day. A one-shot.


Author's Note: Ladies and gentlemen, for today, I wanted to post something dedicated to all of the veterans who have served for the United States, and what better way to do that than with a story dedicated to a veteran himself, both past and future? And so, I give you a semi-Veteran's Day related fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Buzz Lightyear of Star Command-related other than my possible theories.

* * *

...

The lonesome soldier was leaning by the vast wooden pier, gazing over the water as the salty wind brushed against his face. A gaze lost in empty space.

The view was bountiful. The open and smooth ocean waves beating against the sturdy pillars, the seagulls crying out, the sun's glow fading in the horizon as the moon was rising to take its celestial sister's place. And yet, none of this mattered to the man.

Dressed in his off-duty uniform, his mind wandered in silence. One might say that he was out here for private solitude. And they would be right.

Ty Parsec liked coming out here by Pier 19 by Capital Planet's main city, Capital City. It was one of the places he enjoyed going to when he needed a place to make his problems seem small by comparison. And right now, it was one of those occasions.

Today was a special day. Ranger Appreciation Day.

But Ty, in all of his years in the service, was feeling anything BUT appreciated.

Everyone else in the Ranger Corps was out having a good time with themselves and honoring those who served before them. A party was to start in about a few minutes back in Capital City at the Galactic Senate headquarters. It was to be thrown in gratitude for all that the Rangers have done to keep the galaxy safe from the Evil Emperor Zurg. But Ty didn't feel like going on account of one simple fact.

Who would remember the things he had actually done for the galaxy when he wasn't saved by Buzz Lightyear?

No one. Even after all the things he did to help people, even after he signed up to become part of something big to make the galaxy a safer place for all to live in because it was what he wanted more than anything, he was just lost in the crowd when his crowning achievements and twenty years of service were tossed off to the side in favor of the galaxy's shining star, the Pride of Star Command himself.

So was it worth it? Was it worth all of the grueling blood, sweat and tears for this? Sometimes that's what he would ask himself when he had a moment to think. At times, he just wanted to give up, but he couldn't do that. He just couldn't give in after the oath he took on the very day he graduated out of the Space Ranger Academy to protect and defend others. When he took that oath, he meant every word of it.

But if he wasn't going to be appreciated for his efforts, if he wasn't to at least get one small thank you for his actions… why should he even try?

A bitter sigh and lowering of his head.

Just then, he heard thumping. Heavy thumping against the wooded walkway. He peeked out of the corner of his brown eyes to see who it was.

But it wasn't anyone he knew.

Not in the present moment.

"Hey, mister… What are you doin' out here by yourself?"

…Eh?

He finally looked over his shoulder to see who was talking to him. When he did, he slightly gaped at the sight of the curt but spirited owner's voice.

A crotchety and fairly dark-skinned slightly hunched over man, in about his late seventies, leaned over a black cane that was supporting most of his weight. He was donning a rather aging green uniform, complete with a jacket and pants, black boots, and a cap sitting on top of his head. The wrinkles in his face seemed to bring out his grouchiness, but his eyes were kind.

Ty blinked. Another Ranger?

"Uh… " It was then that Ty remembered that the man had asked him about why he was all the way out here.

"Well, uh… I'm.. I'm just enjoying the view, is all. I wanted to enjoy some time to myself before I was off."

"For the Ranger party, right?"

The younger Ranger cringed subtly, hopefully enough to not have the elder notice. "…Yeah. Yeah, for the party."

But as they say, elders can be wise, and this elder was no exception. With a suspicious stink eye, he studied the other man. "Uh-huh…"

As if to try to cover up his attempts, Ty grinned in bashfulness. "Really. I am."

The other man still didn't look convinced.

Nonetheless, he didn't push it onto his younger companion. Instead, he asked, "Well, may I at least have your name? Might as well get to know you since we're both in the same organization, right?"

Grateful for the temporary change of subject, Ty introduced himself. "I'm Sergeant Ty Parsec." He brought out a hand for the other human to shake.

Nodding and smiling with a near friendly attitude, the elder brought out his own to shake Ty's hand back. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you who I am."

Ty tilted his head. What did he mean?"Is that so?"

As they retired their hands to their sides, Ty turned his back and leaned against the rails with crossed arms to hear more about this old guy.

"Sure was. Was a Sergeant like yourself once and was out there savin' lives before you were born, kid." He chuckled at the slight brow Ty gave him and waved it off. "But eh, I won't go into any details about what I've done. Most of that was a walk in the park and nothing to get excited about. I was only doing like what you're doing now; helping people."

At that, Ty's brow faltered. Helping people… right. Unintentionally, he poured out his sour attitude. "And getting thanked for your efforts, I take it?"

The old man, a little taken aback at the unexpected venom lodged in Ty's question, countered back carefully, "Well… sometimes… but it wasn't like I was looking for a trophy or anything. I had to focus on what was important at the time. And besides, most of the time, it was just work."The old man then tilted his head at the young Ranger. "Why? Is that what's bothering you? Not getting thanked?"

A thin scowl spread across Ty's face, old traces of bitterness coming back. "…You could say that. You know of Buzz Lightyear?"

The elder smirked. "Who hasn't?"

Ty snorted. He should have known better. "Of course. Anyways, long story short, I used to work with him when I graduated out of the Academy. But during many of the missions, anything that I would do, nobody would acknowledge it because the things he did were often more important than anything I've done because he was SO special." The younger human had to sigh again. "And all the things I did, were shoved away in light of this guy because he's the _Pride_ of Star Command who could always save the day and be there to rescue people. And I got the short end of the stick: no thanks, no signs of appreciation… nothing."

The older Ranger blinked and proceeded to do something Ty didn't see coming.

He whacked Ty hard on the head with his cane.

"Ow!"

After the elder was done with his task, he returned the cane to his side and was met with an irritated glare.

Ty immediately rubbed his head to soothe the pain away. "What was that for?!"

The old man gave Ty a small cryptic smile of sorts. "When I was young, I thought the exact same way you did. I was tired of feeling unappreciated for all the things I did. Nobody would give me signs of gratitude or medals. But you know what? I look back on those things now, and it doesn't matter."

Ty had to growl a bit as the pain was going away. THAT was why he whacked Ty on the head? To lecture him?!

"Yeah, well, I hate to say it, sir, but with how I feel now, it still DOES matter! It's something I'm trying to get over and currently can't because of how I had to endure over fifty missions with Buzz gloa-"

"Don't you mean fifty-one on Canis Lunis?"

At the old man's interruption, Ty was about to snap at him when he stopped. Wait…

"Did you say, 'Canis Lunis'?"

The old man smiling even further, he nodded. "Sure did. That last fight with that energy vampire was quite a doozy for us, wasn't it?"

…

"'Energy vampire'? How did you know about that… and what do you mean by 'us'? "

The old man's smile evolved into a grin. "Because…" He placed his cane into his opposite hand as he used his knobby right hand to roll up his left sleeve. Struggling a bit to get the sleeve to move upwards, he moved the sleeve and held it just below his shoulder to point at a spot on his crinkled upper arm.

Ty squinted and leaned forward to inspect the spot on the guy's arm. His eyes grew impossibly wider than dinner plates.

Bite marks.

Two circular and small faded bite marks.

He slowly turned to look at the old man. "No… you… you can't be! You can't be who I think you are!"

Once he was done showing his proof off, the elder rolled his sleeve back down. "But I am. I'm you, Ty. You from the far future, about 149 years old."

…149 years old?!

Ty couldn't believe it as he tried to find his voice. "…A…a hundred… a hundred and forty-nine…" He threw a hand to his forehead, as if to nurse a headache. He whipped his head back at this old man… er… him… them… whatever! "But if you're me… then… what… what are you-how did you-why are you… what-what's going on and, uh, how did you get here and why are you here?"

The older Ty had to shake his head in amusement. He was quite a hilarious guy in his youth. "Alright, I'll tell you in order. You're meeting your future self, I got here through a special time traveling device," he pulled out a blue calculator-like device from his pocket to momentarily show Ty his method of transportation, and thus sending the man down to his knees at the overwhelming evidence that all of this was real, "and I'm here because of one reason."

The old man waited until Ty was done getting overwhelmed by everything he just heard. After about five minutes, the younger counterpart looked up again. "And what reason might that be, other than to scare me?"

Smirking at his counterpart's dry remark for a minute, he addressed his reason in a calm and genuine tone. "To tell you these words: Thank you."

A pause.

"'Thank you?'"

A simple nod in return. "Thank you."

Another dumbfounded gape. "…What… what did I do?"

Smiling almost serenely, the elder Ty responded, "For your services, of course. What else did you expect to be thanked for?"

Ty was having a hard time believing that. "…Nothing."

Ignoring the attempt to smack his younger self on the head, the older soldier continued, "Well, that's where you're wrong. I know you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you, but… you know about…" he looked all around his surroundings to make sure no one else was around before…

"The Wirewolf?"

As soon as that word left the elder's lips, Ty tensed up as though he had just been shot in the heart. "Don't mention that name!"

Unruffled by the other Ty's shift in emotion, the older man continued on, "Well, because of you and what happened to us back on Canis Lunis… lives are saved in the future."

Ty's old feelings about that horrible day burst out. "Whaddaya mean, lives are saved?! How did that… thing, save lives in the future?! How can that creature be of any use to anything?! All that thing was good for was hurting and destroying things!" His fists gripped tightly, shaking like an angry volcano. "AND THAT'S ALL I WAS EVER KNOWN FOR AT STAR COMMAND!"

While he breathed in and out to calm down, his temper dampened when he saw the elder Ty's worried expression. "I… I don't understand. Why would that thing be of any use to anybody?"

Craters… in all of the elder Ty's experience, he had forgotten how tense his younger counterpart could get when old heartaches of the past were brought up again, like that day on Canis Lunis, or the sinking reputation he gained when he was the butt of many cruel jokes and rumors.

And in a way, it still annoyed the elder Ty from time to time. But what he did in the future helped him to feel better about himself and it also made him another household name alongside Buzz.

So, he smiled a little and placed a warm hand on Ty's shoulder as he explained, "Because that thing has made it possible for people to recover faster and to live longer."

Needless to say, Ty's mouth hung open at the mention of that creature doing something good. "Huh?"

The elder Ty nodded and smiled wider. "NOS-4-A2 always had a strange habit of leaving things. One thing he left behind in us that was used to hurt people are, ironically, what save people now."

Ty scrunched up an eye. "What are you talking about?"

Another chuckle, warm and obscure. "You ever hear of nanobots?"

"Nano-wha?"

Refusing the temptation to give the younger half a dry remark, he further elaborated, "Nanobots. Tiny robots that can infiltrate an organic's body. You sure you never heard of them?"

Ty shook his head. "What does this have to do with the Wirewolf?"

This time, the elder Ty paused, puzzling over how to answer that seemingly innocent question. It wasn't going to be easy, that much he knew. But for his younger self's emotional and mental sakes, he had to tell him one way or another.

And it had to be now. Giving his confused self a pointed look, he sighed. "Well, my friend… it's like this. When NOS-4-A2 bit us in the moonlight, he unintentionally injected us with nanobots. These robots latched onto our cells and DNA because they were the only things these robots could latch onto since they weren't in a machine. And because the moonlight shone right on the spot where he bit us, the nanobots were programmed to respond and react to the moonlight when it hit us, like a remote control. They'd react because… well, I think you can figure out the rest from there."

"What?!" Ty shook his head, appalled. "You… you mean all this time, there have been robots… crawling in…" He gulped as the reality hit him. "…Me?"

A quiet and somber nod.

The response the other Ty received was a worrisome but unsurprising sight. The younger Ty wrapped his arms around each other, feeling a quiver overcoming him. Tiny robots… floating in him like ants crawling over a feast. And nobody, not even Star Command's finest scientists, could have spotted them in the first place?

Suppressing a sudden desire to crawl into a fetal position right in front of the fellow Ranger, he fell onto his knees, hung his head and settled for a shudder. All of this was just too much to take in. His future self coming here, the nanobots…

The elder Ty initially did nothing but sadly looked at himself. Looked at how the pain truly affected him all those years ago. Even after times had changed since that day, some things remained constant.

Especially when certain events changed one's life forever.

But that didn't mean _all_ was lost.

The elder Ty, rare compassion reaching across his face, reached out with a knobby hand to the seemingly lost and frightened man, who was now more of a lost child, and patted a shoulder.

"But that's why I'm here. To tell you the good that came out of it."

The other Ty stopped shaking, but he didn't look up.

The old human sighed patiently and quietly. "You see, Ty, in the future, as you can see, people are able to live longer than expected. And part of that is because many of the diseases you and I know… er, knew in my case, have ceased to exist. And that's where the nanobots come in."

The younger Ty did not lift his head up, but he did swivel turn his head to the side to listen in.

Feeling like he was slowly reeling Ty in, the senior went on. "After the whole 'Curse of the Wirewolf,'" a quick mocking gesture with his fingers, "years passed and all was the way it should be. Now by this time, the man was older and wiser, but he still was in the Ranger Corps and giving his all. At the same time this happened, a tragedy struck."

This time, the younger Ty peeked out from his knees and his brows furrowed in slight interest. A tragedy?

Glad he now had his younger counterpart's full on attention, he proceeded on. "Something terrible had occurred. Innocent people were accidentally caught in the line of fire in an air raid out in the middle of some uncharted rock in the Zeta Quadrant."

Ty blinked. "What happened?"

"What else? Zurg."

An annoyed huff. Ty wondered how that bucket head, despite his probable old age at the time, was able to keep on doing what he did best: threatening to take over the galaxy.

"But yeah. It was one ugly mess right after another. And although many of us were able to save many lives… there were some who nearly didn't make it."

Ty frowned at how soft and quiet his elderly counterpart's voice was.

Looking at his younger self for a minute, he directed his eyes upwards to stare into the glittering specks up there in the black canvas, lost in time. Without looking back, he continued, "One person… a little girl was already suffering before the whole thing started. A disease that, as far as anyone knew, had no cure and no name, and it was just a new thing. But after the attack, this girl was badly wounded. And by bad, I mean…"

He trailed off, unable to find the words to describe the horrible sight when he first set eyes on the poor thing. But he looked back at the younger self, whose look was a combination of concern and sadness. A little girl…

But then, as if a giant weight was lifting off of him, the older Ty returned his gaze back down to the former Ranger with a thankful smile. "But that's where YOU came in."

Ty blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you. And if there's one thing I'm glad hasn't changed about you, it's you wanting to help people."

"…What are you getting at?"

"What I'm getting at, Ty, is that you jumped in to save this little girl's life through the one way she _could_ be saved…."

A somewhat peaceful smile brushed his features. "Before that, a day came when Star Command, having the latest technology, slowly discovered something when they were checking a certain man's health over."

"Oh, no… don't bring up the nanobots."

He ignored the irritated grunt. "_Yeah._ The nanobots. I _did_ bring it up. But for a reason. The day that happened, changes began to take place. Research was done on these little guys to find out more about them. And what the LGMs have found out when they tampered with them is nothing short of amazing. A lot of construction was put into their own designs. When I found out about this fact, I wasn't exactly thrilled about them at first."

That tender look on the elder's face quietly mirrored Ty's earlier reaction."But afterwards… I began to think about the many ways they could keep others from being infected the same way I was by these bots. One of which was trying to help this sick little kid."

Slowly Ty put two and two together. And when he did...

"Wait... so are you saying... that this little girl... was saved because of these-?"

"Yes. Yes, Ty. Her wounds healed and she lived. And the best part?... she went on to become a doctor specializing in nanobot technology... and she has US to thank."

If Ty wasn't busy gawking like he was in a zoo, he would have sat down and laughed. Or cried. Or even both. So all this time... something that he thought was evil and malevolent...

"But... that thing..." He shook his head. "But... that wasn't me... that was NOS-4-A2's doing. He injected these things into us... wait... what... what about the Wirewolf? Didn't anybody know about that?"

Thoughtfulness breached the elder's face. "No. The Wirewolf was, and still is, one of Star Command's guarded secrets. But far as NOS-4-A2 goes, he wasn't the one who decided to do something about them. He didn't know about them either. It wasn't in his programming to know. But as I said, when I found out about these nanobots, I reacted the same way you did. I wasn't happy about it at first, but over time, as I thought about what these nanobots could do OTHER than attaching themselves to our cells, it became clear to me that just although they changed my life for the worse, they also did something for my life that was for the greater good.

"Besides destroying that energy vampire, it also mended our friendships with Buzz and we weren't the butt of jokes anymore at Star Command. And we also continued to work as Rangers, of course. But the greatest thing we have done for everyone, and ourselves, was this..."

He pointed to his heart and smiled a little."Caring about others enough to be their advocates and to stand up for nanobot technologies. We not only stood up against _Zurg_. We also stood up against something _more deadly_ than Zurg."

The elder Ty patted his younger self's shoulder. "And that's why I'm here. I'm here on behalf of everyone you saved. If it weren't for your determination and dedication, many people who would have died from disease are now living long and prosperous lives. And for that..."

He reached up with an open hand to take his hat off in respect, showing his winter-grey and thinning pompadour. "Thank you, Ty."

For a long time, the young Ranger didn't know what to say.

What could he say in all of this? 'You're welcome'? 'It was nothing'? Nothing at all?

But regardless, whatever words he struggled to think of left his mind. All of this was just a crater and a half to take in. He knew the elder man wasn't lying; those bite marks were exactly the same shape and size. And those brown eyes and snarky spirit the elder man possessed were no doubt his own. But what this man was telling him seemed too good to be true. Him saving people because he cared enough to stand up for these nanobots and act as an advocate for nanobot research?

Seeing the doubts clouding Ty's face, the old man put his hat back on his head and advised, "If you want proof that you were a hero to these people..."Reaching into his other pocket, he pulled out a what appeared to be a golden coin attached to a purple ribbon. "I suggest you look at this. I'll need it back, though, it's the only medal I brought with me."

He gave it to Ty, who after a hesitant moment's pause, picked it up and brought it closer for inspection. The coin bore an image of a short cross overlaying a giant star. It was engraved with bold words.

_Galactic Heart of Iasos-Stardate 4182_

The younger Ty looked at his ancient counterpart, as if to ask if this was real. The smile and deep nod confirmed it.

"Your efforts weren't in vain. In the long run, your services meant a lot to people. And that galactic medal is only given to those who have given themselves to serve the public health. It's not very often a Ranger comes in to claim this award... not even Buzz himself has received this award."

Returning to look back to the medal, he stared at it for some time. Stared to let himself take everything in.

He was remembered for his actions after all. He was appreciated. He was a hero.

Everything he was so bitter about early evaporated into thin air, and for the first time that night, he smiled. Not the small and futile attempt to put on for an audience, but a real and happy smile. He gave his elder self their medal back as he replied, "It's nothing. I was... I was only doing my job."

"I know."

"But... I... I wouldn't have known that if it weren't for you... er... sir." It still felt odd to be talking to himself. But he brushed that aside as he reached out with a hand. "Thank _you_ for your services... and for your help. I appreciate it."

Smiling from ear to ear, the elder Ty took out a hand and shook the other's hand. "Don't mention it, kid."

Ty's eyebrow spiked up. 'Kid?'

The elder grinned in slight mischief. Once they were done with their handshake, the older Ty announced, "Well, Ty. Looks like my job here is done. Time for me to go home."

Ty's smile faltered a little. "Go back? To the future?"

"Where else? It's where I'm from, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but... will that change anything now that you and I met? Won't the future change?"

The senior Ranger shrugged. "Maybe it will and maybe it won't. I can't give a straight answer. Tell you what, though... are you considering going to that party now that you're feeling better?"

"The what?"

The elder Ty nearly rolled his eyes. "The party, Parsec. Remember? The one that's hosted for Ranger Appreciation Day?"

Ty pouted in annoyance for a brief second as it took him a minute to recollect what his future self was talking about. When he did, his expression lightened up."Actually... I might."

Satisfied with this answer, the elder Ty motioned a hand for Ty to start following him. "Well then, let's go! I'll escort you there and on the way, I can tell you a bit about the future, and you can decide for yourself if you want those things to change. Otherwise, the things you don't want to change won't be affected. Don't worry. Besides..."

He grinned a large and goofy grin. "I've got some _great_ stories about Star Command and old Buzz."

His older self's attitude was infectious to the younger self. "In that case then, let's go."

And so, walking side by side, they traveled down the pier together, past and future united, under the blanket of stars to Capital City, where Ty's friends were celebrating their own good deeds and giving thanks to the ones before them. For past and future, the work of a hero was something to be revered and respected by, regardless of different eras or places.

_Fin._

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you, vets. God bless.


End file.
